Ranchi: The protest by students and government job aspirants in Jharkhand took a tense turn on Monday after police used water cannons, tear gas and batons to stop demonstrators from moving towards the state Assembly in Ranchi.
The students have been protesting over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC). Their demands include action against alleged wrongdoing in the exams, cancellation of some disputed examinations and a CBI investigation.
The protest has been going on for around 17 days. On Monday, a large group of students marched towards the Assembly, where heavy security and barricades had been put in place. When some protesters tried to cross the barricades, police moved in to disperse them.
The police action quickly became the focus of the protest. Rahul Gandhi criticised the use of force against the students and said their concerns should be heard instead of being met with force. He called for the government to sit down with the protesters and find a solution through dialogue.
The students, meanwhile, say their concerns have not been properly addressed. They have been demanding greater transparency in the recruitment process and action over examinations they believe were affected by irregularities. Some protesters have also called for a CBI probe into the allegations.
The Jharkhand government has maintained that it has already acted on several of the students demands and remains open to discussions. However, the protesters say important issues are still pending. Reports suggest that students had sought cancellation of 13 examinations, but only three have so far been scrapped.
The controversy has also turned political. The BJP has attacked the Jharkhand government over the protests and has demanded a CBI investigation into the alleged examination irregularities. Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the police action has added another layer to the political debate, particularly because Congress is an ally of the ruling JMM in Jharkhand.
For the students, however, the issue is much more personal. Many have spent years preparing for government jobs and say they want a recruitment system they can trust. With the protests continuing, the pressure is now on the Jharkhand government to bring the students and officials back to the negotiating table and prevent the situation from escalating further.